Q’llage explores how the strategies that support me and my local queer community to stay true to ourselves are mirrored in the natural world. This project springs from my own coming into queerness, as I’ve found solace and inspiration in observing and writing about nature.
In 2019, I interviewed forty LGBTQ2IA+ people in my local community about their “coming in” stories — how they have and continue to come into their truths around gender, sexuality, family, and love. Across the interviews, I listened for strategies that people have used to stay true to their process of self-inquiry and exploration in the midst of social and systemic pressure and violence. I researched how those practices and strategies are mirrored in the natural world and listened to people who know a lot more about plants than me. I collaborated with a local artist to lead outdoor movement workshops for participants to explore how each theme lives in their bodies and the nature around them. I intertwined images from the workshops, plant research, and my own reflections to create compositions for large-scale collages.
In 2021-2022, I re-interviewed the majority of participants that I interviewed in 2019, spurring more workshops and collages.
My collage process reflects the dialectic between the individual and collective. Tangibly, I cut up small pieces of National Geographic magazines (for their rich colors), fabric, and photographs — each with their own story — to form a collective whole. Intangibly, I strive to make art at the nexus of my personal experience and the experiences that people share with me. I strive to honor those I interview while also being my own subject. Rather than telling other people’s stories, I’m paying attention to the impact of their stories upon me.
Q’llage is ongoing. Below are the collages featured in the first Q’llage exhibition, Coming In, which received its first public showing at Public Functionary in Minneapolis, MN, in June 2023.
Q’llage has been funded in part by individual donors and in part by grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board; see full acknowledgement below.
ABUNDANCE. 12’x4’ Cut up magazine on acrylic stained wood
THE WHOLE TRUTH. 5’x4’ Cut up magazine on painted wood
SURRENDERING TO TRUST. 6’x4’ Cut up magazine & fabric on watercolor-painted wood
DETAIL: SURRENDERING TO TRUST
BOUNDARIES. 5’x4’ Cut up magazine with accents of acrylic paint on watercolor-painted wood
DETAIL: BOUNDARIES
SELF-PORTRAIT: GROWTH. 3’x4’ Cut up magazine on wood
IMAGINATION. 6’x4’ Cut up magazines with accents of acrylic paint on acrylic-painted wood
WORK-IN-PROGRESS: IMAGINATION
DETAIL: IMAGINATION
GENDER. 6’x4’ Cut up magazine with accents of acrylic paint on painted wood
PHOTO FROM MOVEMENT WORKSHOP ON THEME: “LEARNING FROM TREES TO EMBRACE OUR SHADOW PARTS” (SHADOWLIGHT)
PHOTO FROM MOVEMENT WORKSHOP ON THEME “LEARNING FROM WATER TO SURRENDER TO TRUST”
PHOTO FROM MOVEMENT WORKSHOP ON THEME “LEARNING FROM WATER TO SURRENDER TO TRUST”
PHOTO FROM MOVEMENT WORKSHOP ON THEME “LEARNING FROM WATER TO SURRENDER TO TRUST”
PHOTO FROM MOVEMENT WORKSHOP ON THEME “LEARNING FROM WATER TO SURRENDER TO TRUST”
Nell Pierce is a fiscal year 2019 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Nell Pierce is a fiscal year 2021 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Nell Pierce is a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.